Originally Posted by
gerv
One thing that strikes me is that a bamboo frame should be relatively easy to repair. First of all, the tools to put it together are much cheaper than, say, a steel or aluminum bike. Then, if you did lose a top tube, you could probably repair it yourself.
Couldn't you just use some more of that hemp-and-bondo concoction for spot repairs?
You would have to carve the lug off and make a new one give the non-uniform nature of bamboo, but I could swap out a tube or modify the frame with no more than a work table and less than a milk crate's worth of tools and supplies.